THE SPELLS GONE WRONG SERIES
No. 1
Hobbits, Ants, and the "Small" World That Binds Them
CHAPTER 6
"Up there!" Merry pointed. "Up there! Look!"
Aragorn shaded his eyes and gazed up the tree that was before them. Merry and Pippin had been clamoring about something. A hole, it appeared.
"So why are we looking at this hole?" Boromir asked. i
"Because," Pippin said impatiently. "That hole belongs to a squirrel."
Boromir and Aragorn looked at the hobbit with a confused expressions.
"And squirrels keep nuts!" Pippin exclaimed.
"Ohhh," Boromir said. "And how does that help us?"
Pippin threw up his hands.
"So somebody climbs up the tree, goes into the hole, and drops down some nuts. Food!" Merry answered.
"Who is going to climb that?" Legolas asked.
Aragorn looked Legolas up and down. "Legolas, you're an elf. You like trees."
Legolas's eyes got wide. "I do not think so, Dunadan."
"Legolas," Aragorn said slowly. "As heir of Isildur and future king of Gondor, I order you to climb that tree and get the nuts!"
Legolas sighed and shrugged off his quiver. He scanned the tree. "You will pay for this, Aragorn," the elf growled.
Aragorn shrugged and smiled. "Maybe."
Everyone watched anxiously as Legolas painfully scaled the tree. And after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the hole and climbed in. After a mere moment, he shot out of the hole and scaled down quicker than any of the others would have thought possible.
"Fly you fools!" he yelled.
"What is it?" Boromir asked.
"Squirrel!" the elf shouted.
Everyone looked up and saw a squirrel poke its head out of the hole and start to scurry down the tree.
"Ahhhhhh!" they all exclaimed and started to run as fast as they could away from the tree.
Aragorn looked over his shoulder and saw the squirrel bounding along the ground after them, closing in.
Pippin stumbled.
The squirrel halted over the hobbit and began to sniff him. With its teeth, it nipped the mushroom bag.
"Noooo!" Pippin let out the battle cry and lashed out with his legs. "You can't have my mushrooms!"
The squirrel flinched a little , but didn't let go of the bag.
"Aragorn!" Pippin wailed. "He's stealing my mushrooms!"
"Pippin, just give him the mushrooms!" Frodo shouted.
The squirrel pulled the bag off and bounded back to its tree.
Everyone trotted over to Pippin and kneeled next to him.
The young hobbit was paralyzed. His jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide. "My mushrooms," he whimpered in a heart-wrenching tone.
"Pippin, we'll find you more mushrooms," Aragorn soothed.
The hobbit stayed in his paralyzed expression for another moment, Then suddenly he let out a wail and flung himself to the ground in despair. "My mushrooms!" he cried out. "Aragorn! That. that.beast of Sauron stole my mushrooms!"
"We have to keep moving," Gimli spoke up.
"I can't go on," Pippin cried. "Not without mushrooms!"
"Pippin," Merry piped up. "You can take mine." Merry dropped the bag at his friend's feet.
Pippin looked at the bag. "Merry, th-th-thank you." He tentatively reached over and pulled the bag close to him.
"I still do expect you to share," Merry pointed a finger at the bag. "Those are still mine and I reserve the right to have some."
Pippin nodded furiously.
"Alright then," Aragorn stood up. "Let's keep going."
"Which way?" Sam asked.
"Squirrel!" Boromir shouted.
Pippin immediately clutched the new bag to his chest.
The squirrel froze in front of them.
"I have an idea," Aragorn said. He took a running start and leapt onto the squirrel.
The squirrel jumped a little and shook its head.
Quickly, the others ran over to the rodent and Legolas and Boromir helped the others get up onto the skittering squirrel that Aragorn had by the ears, controlling it.
Once everyone was on, Aragorn turned. "Boromir, you take that ear and I'll take this one."
Boromir nodded and straddled the other ear. He gripped it with his hands. "I'm set."
Aragorn huffed. "Here goes nothing." He kicked the squirrel with his heels. "Hy-a!"
While the men hung on to the ears, the others clutched to clumps of fur as the squirrel started to bound along the forest floor.
CHAPTER 6
"Up there!" Merry pointed. "Up there! Look!"
Aragorn shaded his eyes and gazed up the tree that was before them. Merry and Pippin had been clamoring about something. A hole, it appeared.
"So why are we looking at this hole?" Boromir asked. i
"Because," Pippin said impatiently. "That hole belongs to a squirrel."
Boromir and Aragorn looked at the hobbit with a confused expressions.
"And squirrels keep nuts!" Pippin exclaimed.
"Ohhh," Boromir said. "And how does that help us?"
Pippin threw up his hands.
"So somebody climbs up the tree, goes into the hole, and drops down some nuts. Food!" Merry answered.
"Who is going to climb that?" Legolas asked.
Aragorn looked Legolas up and down. "Legolas, you're an elf. You like trees."
Legolas's eyes got wide. "I do not think so, Dunadan."
"Legolas," Aragorn said slowly. "As heir of Isildur and future king of Gondor, I order you to climb that tree and get the nuts!"
Legolas sighed and shrugged off his quiver. He scanned the tree. "You will pay for this, Aragorn," the elf growled.
Aragorn shrugged and smiled. "Maybe."
Everyone watched anxiously as Legolas painfully scaled the tree. And after what seemed like an eternity, he reached the hole and climbed in. After a mere moment, he shot out of the hole and scaled down quicker than any of the others would have thought possible.
"Fly you fools!" he yelled.
"What is it?" Boromir asked.
"Squirrel!" the elf shouted.
Everyone looked up and saw a squirrel poke its head out of the hole and start to scurry down the tree.
"Ahhhhhh!" they all exclaimed and started to run as fast as they could away from the tree.
Aragorn looked over his shoulder and saw the squirrel bounding along the ground after them, closing in.
Pippin stumbled.
The squirrel halted over the hobbit and began to sniff him. With its teeth, it nipped the mushroom bag.
"Noooo!" Pippin let out the battle cry and lashed out with his legs. "You can't have my mushrooms!"
The squirrel flinched a little , but didn't let go of the bag.
"Aragorn!" Pippin wailed. "He's stealing my mushrooms!"
"Pippin, just give him the mushrooms!" Frodo shouted.
The squirrel pulled the bag off and bounded back to its tree.
Everyone trotted over to Pippin and kneeled next to him.
The young hobbit was paralyzed. His jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide. "My mushrooms," he whimpered in a heart-wrenching tone.
"Pippin, we'll find you more mushrooms," Aragorn soothed.
The hobbit stayed in his paralyzed expression for another moment, Then suddenly he let out a wail and flung himself to the ground in despair. "My mushrooms!" he cried out. "Aragorn! That. that.beast of Sauron stole my mushrooms!"
"We have to keep moving," Gimli spoke up.
"I can't go on," Pippin cried. "Not without mushrooms!"
"Pippin," Merry piped up. "You can take mine." Merry dropped the bag at his friend's feet.
Pippin looked at the bag. "Merry, th-th-thank you." He tentatively reached over and pulled the bag close to him.
"I still do expect you to share," Merry pointed a finger at the bag. "Those are still mine and I reserve the right to have some."
Pippin nodded furiously.
"Alright then," Aragorn stood up. "Let's keep going."
"Which way?" Sam asked.
"Squirrel!" Boromir shouted.
Pippin immediately clutched the new bag to his chest.
The squirrel froze in front of them.
"I have an idea," Aragorn said. He took a running start and leapt onto the squirrel.
The squirrel jumped a little and shook its head.
Quickly, the others ran over to the rodent and Legolas and Boromir helped the others get up onto the skittering squirrel that Aragorn had by the ears, controlling it.
Once everyone was on, Aragorn turned. "Boromir, you take that ear and I'll take this one."
Boromir nodded and straddled the other ear. He gripped it with his hands. "I'm set."
Aragorn huffed. "Here goes nothing." He kicked the squirrel with his heels. "Hy-a!"
While the men hung on to the ears, the others clutched to clumps of fur as the squirrel started to bound along the forest floor.